This post was written by Madison Consulting Group member, Tyler

With the looming election rearing its head at us, the question on everyone’s mind is who do we vote for? What candidate appeals to us? What issues are the most important?

I was skimming through CNN and found and interesting piece, that can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/10/politics/undecided.voters/latino.html, on the six influential types of voters that will really swing the outcome of the presidential election in November. One of the most important types of swing voters is the Latino.

The article presents the day and life of Maria Lopez Reeves and how she makes ends meet for her family. The article also touches on some interesting statistics about Latino voters. In 1988 the eligible Latino voters in America was a mere 7.7 million. Now two decades later that number has tripled and sits at a healthy 23.7 million. This is impressive and makes me proud to know my fellow Americans care about their future and also that of their country. With so much at stake the election the candidates are trying to secure the votes of the Latino demographic, and rightfully so. With 23.7 million citizens ready to cast their vote, the presidential candidates know this number matters. Expect to see heavy campaigning aimed at the Latino demographic in the next week.

I cannot stress the importance of voting enough. It is absolutely imperative we as Americans vote to make our voices heard. Do you feel President Obama handled these past four years well? VOTE! Do you believe Governor Romney has a better foresight for the country given his successful business background? VOTE! Do you believe the candidates are limited by the political party they represent? Try looking into the independent candidates or Libertarian candidates. And yes again, VOTE!

See you all at the polls on November 6th.

Check out our Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyScholarsLatinoInitiative !